Detective Pikachu (Dir. Rob Letterman, 1h 44m)

It would come as no surprise, as a child of the 1990s, that I'm a Pokémon fan, growing up at a point and experiencing everything Pokémon whilst the franchise enjoyed its first eruption in popularity, falling out of touch during the long dark age where the series fell from the public eye, and now enjoying its colossal, globe-spanning return to a titan of popular culture. Yet, even back in that halcyon era where there were only 250-odd of the Japanese monsters, and despite its forays into the box office in animated form, there was always a possibility. A glimmer. A dream. Of a live action Pokémon movie.

Of course, videogame movies are, frankly, a medium less peppered, more riddled with failures, from the under performing but faithful Warcraft, to the execrable countless adaptions of everything from Street Fighter to the infamous Super Mario Bros. And yet, Detective Pikachu is everything you could wish for in a Pokémon live action movie, clearing the bar of "best video game movie ever" by yards, rather than inches. It is nothing short of a triumph, both as a faithful recreation of a well-loved world, and as a heartfelt tribute to the series, but also as a damn fine detective story about a son searching for his father and his place in the world.

Front and centre of the film's success is, undoubtedly, Ryan Reynolds. Sorry, fans of Danny Devito, whilst he was a great potential choice, Reynolds owns this role, grabbing it with both his small, cute yellow-furred hands, and clinging to it for dear life. If Reynolds is now synonymous with Deadpool, he's arguably added another role he's inseparable from in the titular detective, as a fast-talking, street-smart, coffee swilling and somewhat world-weary PI. Pikachu himself drives the plot forward, with the behatted detective determined to get to the bottom of the disappearance of his partner, Harry Goodman, with the aid of Harry's son, Tim (Justice Smith), and cub reporter, Lucy (Kathryn Newton) and to uncover his own lost memory. Along for the ride are Ken Watanabe as a gruff but well meaning colleague of Tim's father, and the Cliffords, a father, Howard (Bill Nighy) and son, Roger, (Chris Geere), a duo of industrialists responsible for the founding and running of Ryme

Their partnership, with the reluctant Tim, distant from his father, and with an equal reluctance to have a Pokémon partner, despite a friend trying to cajole him into catching one, heading to Ryme City to investigate his father's disappearance and supposed death, starts out rocky, but slowly thaws, through a number of trials and tribulations, with both of them growing as people as they uncover and thwart a nefarious and shadowy plot to destroy the Utopian city's aim to be a place where Pokémon and people live in harmony with each other. This bond is tested, almost to breaking points in places, but with Reynolds' charm and wit, and Smith growing from his experiences from a fish out of  water to a resourceful foil to Pikachu, and detective in his own right.

What is equally impressive is that, in a way not unlike Marvel's Rocket, from the moment Pikachu steps out from behind a desk in Harry's flat, blinking into the light, he is utterly believable-it's easy to compare this, what with its noirish plot of a detective looking for a missing family member alongside an animated creature, in an animated world, to the seminal Who Framed Roger Rabbbit, and it arguably makes as big a leap forward-Pikachu, and indeed every Pokemon is beautifully animated, with the detective himself a startlingly realistic creature, his facial expressions instantly readable, from pained to sad to happy.

Moreover, every single Pokemon-and the film sports over 80 of the 807 critters, is instantly recognisable, faithful, and nigh-perfectly brought to life, from major players, such as Mewtwo and Charizard, to minor characters like Squirtle and Gengar. With the Blade Runner-esque Ryme City a location where, compared to the typical battling and capturing, Pokemon and humans live in harmony, so there's an enjoyable sense of a lush populated world, calling to mind sections of Tokyo-though oddly featuring London's Gerkin(!)-where Pokémon pop up at every occasion, and in every location, even in establishing shots and in the backgrounds of others.

Indeed, this entire film is a love-letter to the games-the level of detail, little injokes, references, in the recreation of Tim's bedroom in Harry's flat, an attempt in itself to reconnect with his son, is impressive in of itself, not to mention the countless signs and screens showing all things Pokémon across Ryme and beyond, whilst there are dozens of references to other Pokémon regions and characters. Heck, at one point, in the most blatant bit of fanservice the film indulges in, Ryan Reynolds breaks into the original English Pokémon theme, (something which a good chunk of the audience at my screening not only sang along with, but continued!), whilst Henry Jackman's excellent score incorporates an enjoyably retro-synth sound, and renditions of some of the classic Pokémon themes straight from the original games.

But, faithfully adaptions, and good performances do not necessarily translate to a good film-one only needs to see Raul Julia's stellar, scenery-munching turn as M Bison in Street Fighter, nor Doug Jones' attention to detail in Warcraft to see where this fails. Detective Pikachu works in the same way that Bumblebee works-in its perfect mix of nostalgia and faithfulness to the source material, but with a hefty dollop of Spielbergian wonder, wit and whimsy added to the recipe. Here, Pokémon is an undoubted success-with a plot that leans heavily upon teamwork, friendship, and in the words of
Howard Clifford, of Pokémon making us the best versions of ourselves, so the DNA of Pokémon is present and apparent in a film that makes it an integral part. We see it in the battles and trials that Tim and Pikachu go through, we see it in the details of the twisting and turning detective story and the plot uncovered that threatens that bond between trainer and Pokémon, we even see it in the countless spectacles that this film throws up, and in the growing friendship between Tim and Lucy.

In short, Detective Pikachu works, because it understands what makes Pokémon itself work, the fuel that has driven it for twenty plus years-the idea of setting out with a Pokémon at your side and the world to explore, and on a small scale, Detective Pikachu captures that feeling, taps into something that, Pokémon veteran, or casual cinema goer, is positively elemental. This might mark a sea-change in videogame movies, it may be a one-off, (until,the inevitable sequel) but whatever the outcome, Detective Pikachu breaks the pattern. There is at last a videogame movie that's not just good, it's great. And that is enough to make it one of the must-see films of the year, for any audience, whether Pikachu is part of their childhood, or just another in a myriad of video game characters. Pika-pi!

Rating: Must See: Personal Recommendation.